Sankakkei
by Riku-Rocks
Summary: A conversation with each of their best friends makes Leon, Cloud, and Riku consider their recent behaviours and feelings. Their realisations and reactions, however, are not what they expected. Not all triangles are balanced. I do not own Kingdom Hearts.
1. The Vagrant

_**Chapter One: The Vagrant**_

Cloud looked up as Tifa entered Merlin's house. The mahogany-eyed woman held up a single Munny. "Did anyone lose this; it was in front of the door when I came in."

Cloud, Zell, and Yuffie shook their heads and Cid glanced at the woman before snorting. "I really don't think losing that's going to break anyone's bank."

"Well, it's still polite to ask," remarked the woman.

"If you don't want to keep it, then here," the Gummi mechanic held up a glass jar with more Munny in it.

"What is this for anyway?" asked Zell as Tifa dropped the found Munny into the jar.

"It's bail Munny for when Spiky takes the bait," answered Cid.

Cloud turned to look at the other man, "What bait is going to land me in jail now?"

"Jailbait of course," answered Cid in a completely serious tone. This did not stop Zell from smirking, Tifa from chuckling, or Yuffie from cracking up completely.

Cloud's eyebrows drew together, "Cid-"

"We've all seen the way you look at Jailbait, Spiky," answered Cid. "It's not like it's going to surprise any of us when you call for bail Munny."

Mako blue eyes narrowed, but the door opened and Leon entered before Cloud could retort. Steel blue eyes took in the former SOLDIER's glare before Leon raised an eyebrow.

"Now what?" he asked flatly.

"Spiky's got a bug up his ass 'cause I was teasing him about Jailbait," Cid answered before Cloud could respond. This sent both women into a giggling fit.

The scarred man rolled his eyes. "Look, I find teasing Cloud to be just as entertaining as you do, but didn't I ask you not to call the kid that?"

"I didn't call him that," said the elder blonde. "I referred to him as that. I won't do it when he's around…wouldn't want to give Jailbait any more issues than he's already got."

"Cid," Leon began sternly, "I want you to take it easy on the kid."

"Haven't I been doing that?" asked the Gummi mechanic. "I don't want to upset him any more than you do…If he takes off then it's just you and me trying to fix this mess." Cid gestured at the computer he had been working on.

"Oh, that reminds me," said Zell as he stood. "I was supposed to fix the lighting in the computer room."

"You haven't done that yet?" asked Leon.

"We had a whole block lose power this week; I've been busy," responded the tattooed man.

"I know," said the Gunblade wielder. "Sorry to jump on you, I just don't want the kid to go blind in there."

"Yeah, plus that place is creepy enough as it is," added Yuffie.

"Tell me about it," said Zell. "I'm stopping at the hotdog stand after I'm done. Anyone want me to bring them back anything?"

"I'll take two chilli dogs," said Yuffie.

"You just had lunch," said Tifa, earning her a shrug from the hyperactive ninja. "No wonder you have so much energy."

"I'll bring back plenty," said Zell on his way out.

"Assuming they aren't sold out again," Leon said under his breath.

"Well between him and her," Tifa indicated Yuffie, "Is it any surprise?"

"Not to mention all the kids that go there," added Cid. Then he turned to Cloud, "Hey, you should take Jailbait there sometime. I'm sure it'll be right up his alley…of course, you might want to give me time to build up more funds if you intend to go up his alley…"

"That's it," said Cloud as he stood quickly and headed toward the door. "I'm leaving."

Cloud slammed the door behind him and stormed off. Without paying attention, he ended up at the Bailey. After pacing for a moment, the blonde man understood why Leon and Riku often came to that location when they wanted some space. No one seemed to linger there. Cloud leaned against a wall, arms folded and eyes closed.

After some time had passed, it could have been minutes or hours, Cloud was so wrapped up in his own thoughts that he was not sure; he heard footsteps walk past him and stop as someone leaned against the opposite wall.

"What do you want, Zack?" asked the blonde man without opening his eyes.

"I want you to shit or get off the pot," answered the violet-eyed man.

Mako blue eyes snapped open. "Excuse me?"

"Tifa talked to me after you stormed off. We all knew Cid was going to react this way about the kid," commented Zack. "At least he's only teasing you. A lot of others will think poorly of you if you get involved with this kid."

"His name is not _kid_," commented Cloud, "And do you honestly think I don't know that? I also know that they'll all have a reason too. I could completely ruin his life-"

"You could ruin _both _your lives," interrupted Zack, "Which is why you need to think this through and then make a decision. Now, you know I'm behind you either way, because I'm your friend and hell, the kid's hot, but I would really like to hear the story behind this."

Cloud raised his head now. "This isn't just about his looks."

"I didn't say it was," stated the black-haired man. "I know the boy is beautiful, smart, and that if it weren't for him, half of the worlds and most of their population, including myself, would still be wherever we went after we disappeared. Trust me; no one appreciates that distinction more than I do. What I _don't _know is how you ended up attached to him."

"I woke up in a world I never even heard of, you and Tifa were gone, so I went to look for you," explained Cloud. "That's when I ended up signing that contract with Hades. Riku was in a similar position, only he was just a kid, and Maleficent took advantage of his situation. We met a few times while we were under them, and we got along. Sometime after Cid brought me back here, I went to the castle ruins and Riku found me there. We kept in touch after that."

Zack nodded slowly. "That was after he escaped the dark realm and found his friend. You were trying to come to terms with what you had done and had just learned that Sephiroth returned with everybody else." A small smirk touched his lips, "You two must have made a nice little support group for each other."

"That's exactly what it was like," agreed Cloud. "No one else understood what I was trying to deal with, except for him; and the things this kid believes and can do…He just kept reminding me what was important, and that you're never too far from the light."

"I'm glad you had that kind of support," stated Zack, "But it still doesn't sound like _that _kind of love to me."

"What do you mean?" asked Cloud, sounding genuinely curious.

"I mean, you love him, but not like a lover should," said Zack, "And you want him for the wrong reasons. You want to be with him because you hate being alone but you don't like to open up to people and explain yourself. With him, you don't have to. That isn't right for you, and it isn't fair to him. You both deserve better."

Cloud sighed. "I don't want to use him."

"Then don't," Zack commented without pause. "Back off the kid a little, be his friend…that's it. Then, you can try to open up to everyone else and maybe you'll find someone you actually want for the right reasons and are willing to work on a real relationship with. You know Tifa's been pretty worried about you…"

"Don't start that up," interrupted the blonde. "I think I have enough to work with for now."

"Well, I think you should talk to Leon anyway." Zack raised his hands and smiled at Cloud's startled expression, "Not like that. It's just…you're not the only one who's gotten close to Riku."

Cloud looked confused for a moment, and then his eyes widened slightly. "Are you saying that Leon…?"

"I'm saying he's also been way too protective and attached to the kid," stated Zack. "You know how he likes all his ducks in a row. You might want to let him know that he doesn't have to watch you around Riku anymore."

"Yeah, it'll be nice not having him glare at me half of the time," said Cloud, "And I certainly won't miss all of Cid's crap."

"Oh, you know he loves us," commented Zack with a smirk. "Come on; let's get back to work."

Cloud nodded, "Hey Zack?"

"Now what?" asked the former colonel in a teasing tone.

"Thanks," muttered Cloud.

"Aw, you're so cute when you aren't trying to be cool," commented Zack with a chuckle.

Cloud rolled his eyes and the two friends continued walking to the Postern.


	2. The Lone Wolf

_**Chapter Two: The Lone Wolf**_

After Cloud stormed off, Tifa turned on Cid. "That was pushing it."

"He needs to learn to lighten up," said Cid. "Don't know what's crawled up his ass…that isn't even the worst comment I've made this week."

"That's what did it," said Tifa as she turned towards the door. "You've been on him about it for too long. I need to go ask Zack about something. I'll see you guys later."

Yuffie waved and Leon inclined his head before the mahogany-eyed woman left.

"You know I like tormenting Cloud and all," said Yuffie, "But maybe you should back off the Jailbait issue for a bit. It seems to be really getting to him."

"He's the one lusting after a damned minor," commented Cid. "At least I'm just heckling him; he makes a move on Jailbait and some people are going to react a lot more strongly than some jokes. He needs to learn to let it roll off him, or back off Jailbait before he goes too far."

"The town isn't _that _big, Cid," said Yuffie. "How's he supposed to avoid him without it being obvious? He'll hurt Riku's feelings if he just stops talking to him."

"He's going to hurt Jailbait no matter what he does," stated the Gummi mechanic. "He needs to decide if it's worth it."

"Aww," Yuffie smiled at the older man. "I didn't know you cared about them so much."

"Well someone has to look out for the idiots," Cid grumbled. "Of course, stone-face here seems to be taking care of Jailbait." He turned to Leon, "What are you going to do if Spiky puts the moves on the kid?"

Leon did not answer...he could not. After a moment, he turned towards the door as well. "I need to check something in the computer room. Let me know if you make any progress with those schematics." He left without waiting for a response.

The scarred man walked straight to the computer room at a brisk pace, without paying any attention to his surroundings or acknowledging anyone he passed. He silently made his way through the labyrinth of halls in Ansem's office building, making his way through with an ease that suggested all the time he spent working there. His thoughts drifting to a silver-haired boy he should not be thinking of in such a manner the entire time.

Once he reached the computer room, Leon closed the door behind him and squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. He needed to get a hold on this.

"You know," Leon's eyes snapped open at the sound of Zell's voice. "I really am going to have to meet this kid. Anyone who could not only get past Strife's self-pitying emo ways but _also_ get under your defences and have both of you fall for him -and at only sixteen- has to be something special."

"I have _not _fallen for him," snapped Leon.

"Oh come on, Squall-I mean Leon," Zell held his hands up in a surrendering gesture. "Just a slip, I meant Leon…that stoic bitch act might work on some of the others but it doesn't fool me. You like this kid...a _lot_."

"He _is_ a kid," stated Leon, temporarily forgetting his earlier denial of the accusation. "I'm ten years older than he is. Even if I were interested, you have to admit, that's quite a problem."

"Yeah…physically the kid isn't going to have the same needs, psychologically it's going to affect him differently, and it's going to be really conflicting with emotions and hormones and all that," commented Zell with a wave of his hand. "_But_…you are one of the few men I know with the willpower and self discipline to handle that. Besides, we both know there's a lot more to a relationship, and honestly, do you think that kid is going to find anyone his own age who can understand him and relate to him well enough for a relationship after everything he's been through?"

"Thanks Zell, I needed to be reminded of that," commented Leon.

"Of what?" asked the blonde man, knowing his friend was not referring to the point he had intended to make.

"Everything he's been through," replied Leon seriously, most of the anger had drained from his voice, but it still held a bitter edge. "He might seem cool and collected, but considering he was only fifteen when all of this started, and the fact that it hasn't been over for more than a few months, we both now that kid has to be torn up inside even worse than we would be. It's only a matter of time before he either has a complete meltdown, or becomes like me or Cloud…He doesn't need this on top of it."

"Well he might have to deal with it anyway," stated Zack. "The kid's observant; now you might be able to hold off on any urges and keep him from figuring out the truth, but Cloud won't…Personally, I think Riku's better off with you and in any case, the kid deserves to be able to make that choice knowing all his options."

"That's another problem," commented Leon, "Cloud…He likes the kid too, and he's made it much clearer than I have."

"So what…he has first dibs or something?" questioned Zell with a sour expression. "I've never known you to objectify someone like that. I think it's just another excuse."

"They're already emotionally involved, Zell," stated Leon. "They haven't been together physically, and they're not technically _together_, but they might as well be…there's an attachment there."

"So you're just going to wait until Cloud decides he can't hold off and moves in on the kid?" asked Zell incredulously. "You think the kid deserves to be in that kind of position…that he even knows how to handle that without getting hurt? …And you're just going to watch it happen? You're better than that, Leon."

"The kid-"

"-And that's another thing," interrupted Zell, "Do you think that always referring to him as 'Kid' is going to help you? You obviously don't need a reminder of his age, so why do it? Is that supposed to keep him at a distance…make sure he doesn't feel like you have any sort of attachment to him? ...Because you're better than that too."

Leon sighed and looked at his friend. "I can't fall in love with Riku, Zell. He deserves…"

"He deserves the truth," Zell placed a hand on the brunette's shoulder, "And you deserve to start living your own life again…Squall. I don't think Riku's the only one you're holding back because of."

The tattooed man walked past Leon and out of the room after that, whether to give his friend some time to think alone or out of fear that he might have pushed too far, Leon was not sure.

The Gunblade wielder walked over to Ansem's old computer. He fingered a pen that contained a few small bite marks, and remembered telling Riku that he needed to slow down if he did not have time to set his pen somewhere when he had walked in and found the boy typing away whilst reading some notes he had made and holding the pen in his mouth.

Leon smirked as he remembered the witty remark the boy had replied with before they had begun a friendly banter. He paused for a moment and the smile faded. Thinking of several similar moments between him and the teal-eyed boy, Leon was surprised that Zell was the only one to call him on his feelings for the adolescent.

Steel blue eyes squeezed closed for a moment. There was no use in denying it any longer. Leon loved Riku, and he knew it. He decided he needed to talk to Cloud first. Then, he would talk to Riku after they settled it.

That thought gave him pause. He had no idea how Cloud would react. They had never truly discussed how the former SOLDIER felt about the silver-haired boy. He was not sure if it was simply attraction on top of friendship or if Cloud actually loved Riku as well.

Leon wanted to find out exactly how his friend felt about the boy before he did anything. However, he was not sure what he would do if Cloud also wanted to pursue a relationship with the silver-haired teen. He could only hope that their shared interest in the teal-eyed boy would not come between them as friends.

The scarred man schooled his features once more and left the room with the intentions of finding his old friend.


	3. The Master of Shadows

_**Chapter Three: The Master of Shadows**_

Riku sat on a ledge overlooking the Dark Depths with a pensive expression on his face. If his head were not downcast, and one could see his eyes, they would notice how much sadness and confliction was expressed in them.

The silver-haired teen was pulled from his thoughts when he heard familiar footsteps approaching.

"There you are," Sora called as he neared, "I've been looking everywhere for you."

"Sorry, I just wanted to be alone for a while." Riku wished his voice had come out stronger.

Sora sighed as he sat down beside his friend. "You still haven't learned, have you?"

"Learned what?" Riku asked, even though he knew the answer.

"That you don't have to handle everything on your own," replied the spiky-haired teen.

"It's my problem…" the teal-eyed boy responded, then he released a weary sigh, "And anyway, I think I've been enough of a burden for one year."

"You made _one _mistake," stated Sora, in a surprisingly stern tone. "That doesn't mean everything that followed is your fault…and you've more than made up for that mistake. I wouldn't even be here if weren't for you."

Riku raised an eyebrow and glanced at the blue-eyed boy. "Well someone found his masculine side…about time, too. I was really getting sick of being the tough one."

"Ha-ha," Sora replied sarcastically. Then his voice gained a concerned note. "Seriously, Riku…What's wrong? I've never seen you like this."

The silver-haired boy shook his head slowly, almost dejectedly, before speaking in barely more than a whisper, as though he were afraid to have the words heard. "It's Leon…"

"Leon?" repeated Sora. "Did he say something…?"

"No," replied Riku flatly. "He barely says _anything _to me…"

"Oh," Sora looked relieved and offered his friend a smile. "Leon's just like that. It's probably just taking him longer to get comfortable around you because of how focused he's been on the restoration. He'll come around."

"He was comfortable…he backed off recently," stated Riku quietly.

Sora looked a little confused by that one, "Really? Well, I'm sure there's a reason…"

"So am I," agreed Riku.

"Riku…he doesn't hold any of it against you," Sora said sadly. "He wouldn't have eased up around you to begin with if he did."

"I know," replied the teal-eyed boy. "It isn't that…I think it's something else…something more recent…"

"What?" asked the blue-eyed boy.

Riku lowered his head, his hair hiding nearly all of his face now. "At first I just looked up to him, you know? He doesn't let anything that's past hold him down, but he doesn't forget it either. I wished I could be like him. He is so determined to set things right. Of course, none of what happened to this world or his friends is his fault to begin with…"

"Yeah," agree Sora. "He really needs to learn to let that go, but I see what you mean. He's definitely worth looking up to."

"That's the thing though," Riku said hesitantly. "I _do _look up to him, but it's more than that. He's so wonderful…I mean, I know that no one is perfect, but…" The silver-haired boy sighed. "I think I might have misinterpreted what I was feeling before…"

"So…you _don't _want to be like him…?" asked Sora, looking and sounding completely lost.

"No…I want to be _with _him," answered Riku softly.

"Wait…" Sora gained an expression similar to the one he got when he was trying to figure out a complicated equation. "You _love _him?"

Riku nodded silently.

"Wha…" Sora stuttered a moment before staring at his friend in surprise, "How long? Why haven't you said anything?"

"How can I?" Riku answered in a dejected tone. "I would just mess everything up…"

"What makes you say that?" questioned Sora, eyebrows drawn in confusion.

"Well for starters, there's no way he feels the same about me," said Riku.

"You don't know that," interrupted the brunette.

"How could he possibly want me?" said Riku. "I'm ten years younger than he is, I have no experience whatsoever, and I've been tainted by the darkness, I…And what about Cloud? He's one of Leon's best friends."

"Wait…I'm lost," said Sora, sounding thoroughly bemused. "What does Cloud have to do with any of this?"

"He's been my friend longer than Leon has; he's the one who introduced me to Leon while you were sleeping. We really helped each other when we were trying to escape the darkness," explained the silver-haired boy. "He spends most of his time with Zack, Leon, or me, and he's been really…almost possessive of me lately. If I say something to Leon, and he does not want to have anything to do with me afterwards, then that's going to put a strain on their friendship. I don't want to come between them."

"You're not going to come between them," said Sora. "Could anyone come between us? No. Even if you didn't want anything to do with one of our other friends anymore, even Kairi, I wouldn't stop being your friend, and I know nothing could make you stop being mine. Leon and Cloud have been friends for even longer than we have, I don't think anything could come between them. And as far as everything else goes, well…" Sora seemed to think for a moment.

"You're really mature for your age, you always have been, but you're even more since everything's happened." Sora continued on, without giving Riku a chance to respond to anything. "You've always been all calm and cool about everything, and since you defeated the darkness, you've been really centred, even when you don't sleep for days and get all quiet. And you are _not _tainted. You accidentally were caught up in the darkness and then you were trapped in it. Maleficent lied to you and she used you; so did Ansem…er, Xehanort's Heartless. Cloud went to Hades of his own will and Leon forgave him without hesitating…I'm sure he doesn't hold any of it against you."

"Thanks Sora," Riku said quietly, "But something has definitely been off with Leon and me, and it started right after I began to feel this way about him. I think it might be better if I just left…I shouldn't have stayed here to begin with."

"But Riku," Sora said sadly. "You like it here…and you've been much happier here than you were on the islands, especially after we got back. Well…up until this; but you haven't even tried talking to Leon about it yet. He may not feel the same way about you, but I know he wouldn't stop being your friend because of it, and he definitely wouldn't want you to leave over it."

"Alright then," Riku said just before he raised his head to meet Sora's eyes for the first time since his friend had joined him. The spiky-haired teen's expression fell further at the emotions in his friend's teal eyes. "I'll go talk to Leon…alone. And if it turns out I was right, then I don't want you to saying about it if I leave; deal?"

Sora looked uncertain for a moment before nodding confidently. "Okay. If you try to talk to Leon about this, and he does react in way that makes you think you should go, then I won't try to stop you."

Riku stood and turned to face his friend. "Thanks Sora…I'll see you later."

"You'd better," replied the blue-eyed boy. "Good luck."

With that, the silver-haired boy turned and strode back to the town, his head tilted downward and his bangs shielding his expressive eyes once more.


	4. The Tip of the Triangle

_**Chapter Four: The Tip of the Triangle**_

Leon was about to leave the corridors to the Postern when Riku turned into the corridor ahead of him. The Gunblade wielder was sure to keep his tone and expression neutral; he did not want to do anything rash now that he was so close to settling this. "Riku," he acknowledged the boy with a nod, and continued walking.

"Leon…?" Riku stopped and turned to face the man as he walked past him. "Are you busy right now?"

"I- Yes…I need to talk to Cloud about something," answered Leon, making sure not to look into the boy's well-hidden but incredibly expressive eyes. He would not be able to just walk away if he did. He had already learned that from experience.

"I'll talk to you later," the steel-eyed man said as he began to turn away, hoping he was not sounding too callous.

The boy's head seemed to tilt down further as he looked away. "Okay…I guess I'll see you later then."

Leon frowned as the boy turned and walked away. The teenager's dejected tone and demeanour further strengthened his determination to resolve the situation. Clearly, his and Cloud's reactions to it were having a negative effect on Riku. The last thing Leon wanted to do was hurt him.

Leon continued on his way out of the building, ignoring the feeling in his chest that was trying to pull him after the boy. He found Cloud working at the reconstruction site just past the Postern with Zack.

"Cloud, do you have a minute? We need to talk," the sable-haired man said as he approached his friend.

"This better be about Riku," commented Zack as he leaned on his shovel.

Steel blue eyes remained on Mako blue as Leon answered, "It is."

"About time," said the eldest. "Go on Cloud; I'll cover this."

The blonde nodded at the other former SOLDIER. "Thanks Zack."

The blonde man joined Leon, and with an unspoken understanding, the two men walked side by side past the Bailey and to the ruins of the old castle gate. Once there, Cloud stared down at the tiled ground, now broken like an undecipherable mosaic, as Leon stared out to the distant castle ruins.

The scarred man decided it was best to get to the point; they both already knew why they were there. "I'm in love with Riku."

It felt strange, freighting, invigorating, and relieving to say finally say it aloud.

"I'm not," Cloud replied in tone that suggested his statement felt very similar.

Steel blue eyes darted to the other man as Leon quickly turned to face him. "You… What?"

"I don't love Riku," repeated Cloud, meeting his friends stare. "Well, I love him, but not the way you do…I'm not in love with him. I wanted to be, but I'm not. I was planning to tell you later. I didn't realise that you… How long? Why haven't you…what were you planning to do?"

"I was planning to resolve this so we would stop hurting Riku," stated Leon evenly. "If that meant stepping aside while you took care of him, then so be it."

Cloud looked troubled and slightly shocked. "You're right…I never even noticed how we were affecting him."

"I'm not all that surprised," commented Leon. "He's barely eaten, slept, or spoken for more than a month. You've been so wrapped up in…if you don't love him then what has been going with you? You've been practically possessive of him and you keep brooding."

Now Cloud looked away, toward the horizon. "I told you, I wanted to be in love with him. I nearly convinced myself that I was…But Zack called me on it. It would be easy to try, but I can't do that to him. I do care about him…and I think he'll always be special to me, but I'm just not in love with him."

Leon nodded and then the former SOLDIER turned back to him, "You didn't answer when I asked you how long you've felt this way."

"I realised that I loved him nearly two months ago," replied Leon, still meeting the other man's gaze. "When we had that problem with the town's defensive mechanism…after fourteen hours of trying to fix that thing on top what we had been doing when the problem started, he was still just as focused and devoted as when we began…he only stopped to make sure I kept drinking and didn't push myself too much. We were nearly finished and suddenly, I couldn't stop staring at him…"

Leon turned back to the castle ruins and crossed his arms over his chest, "He had to have been exhausted and nearly as disgruntled as I was, but he was still easily the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. I think I already was in love with him, I just didn't realise it until that day."

"Wow, Leon…I had no idea," Cloud shook his head. "And you were willing to let that go?"

"If it meant that he would be happy and taken care of, then yes," replied Leon easily. "I love him."

"I believe you," Cloud stepped forward to stand beside his friend as he also looked to the castle ruins. "Are you going to tell him?"

"I'm going to give him some time first," Leon answered levelly. "Now that the tension will be settled between us, he should start feeling more at ease. Once he does, I'll tell him."

"Don't wait too long," Cloud advised quietly. Before Leon could respond, another voice was heard a couple yards behind them.

"I hate to interrupt your little moment," Reno said drily, smirking at Cloud as he approached, "But the object of your…well, desire and," the Turk glanced at Leon, "_Your _affection is MIA, yo."

Cloud took an involuntary step closer to the redhead, "What!?"

Leon's arms fell to his sides as he stepped forward as well, "But I just saw him. Has anyone checked Ansem's study or computer room?"

"No," answered Reno smoothly. "There's no need, yo. I saw him heading out, but even the Mini-Spiky doesn't know where he was headed. Funny thing is Sora didn't seem as surprised; he was just concerned…and he let something slip about you before he said he promised not to say anything." The Turk indicated Leon once again.

"Promised who?" asked Cloud.

"Riku, I would imagine," replied Leon.

Reno nodded, "What did you say to the kid when you saw him last? Whatever it was, I think it sent him packing, yo."

"I-" Blue grey eyes shifted slightly before Leon groaned. "I was too curt with him…I've been too brusque him for a while."

"I haven't been much better," Cloud stated. "We need to find him and fix this."

"No kidding," Reno stated, rolling his eyes. "He can't have made it very far on foot…unless he has a trick up his sleeve we haven't seen yet, which wouldn't surprise me, yo. Mini-Spiky is moping at the borough; maybe you'll be able to get more out him."

With a brief nod, Leon began walking to the borough at a determined pace. Cloud glanced at Reno, "Thanks."

"Oh, you know I'll make you both pay up later," stated the redhead.

"Don't worry, we won't tell anyone you did something decent," commented the former SOLDIER. Then he caught up to his friend.

Leon approached an usually dour looking Sora sitting on the wall of the Borough on which he usually skateboarded. Cloud was only a few steps behind him.

The boy hopped off the wall to meet Leon halfway. "What did you say to Riku?" he demanded.

Both men stopped in their tracks. They had never encountered any anger in Sora before.

"Not enough," Leon answered tightly. "I wouldn't talk to him. I think I might have brushed him off too coldly this time."

"_This _time?" repeated the spiky-haired teen roughly. "You've _been _making him feel like you either hate him or he did something wrong for more than a month. What is your problem? I thought you liked Riku. I thought you understood him…"

"I understand him as well as anyone can right now," stated Leon, "And I do like him…I just had some things I had to work out."

"Like what?" asked Sora, his hostility mixing with genuine curiosity.

"I needed to find out how Cloud felt about him and whether it would damage our friendship if I told Riku how _I _feel about him," answered Leon.

Now the blue-eyed boy looked more confused than angry. "Huh?"

"Why don't we fill you in _after _we've found Riku," suggested Cloud.

"Where is he, Sora? Do you know?" asked Leon.

"I can guess," replied the spiky-haired teen. "What are you going to do once you find him though? Upset him some more while you work out your feelings?"

Cloud actually flinched while Leon seemed to gain even more determination from the Keybearer's reaction.

"I'm going to tell him that I love him and ask him to come home," replied the Gunblade wielder evenly.

Sora opened his mouth but quickly closed it and blinked up at the man. "You…You love him too? You mean it?" Suddenly, they were dealing with the Sora they all knew and loved. "That's great! He loves you…but he thought…"

The teenager looked thoughtful for a moment and then smacked his own forehead. "How did I miss that…?"

The cerulean-eyed adolescent looked between the two men as he began talking in a rush. "He didn't tell me directly, and I only worked it all out just now... He thought you figured out how he felt about you and that you had a problem with it, that was causing problems between you and Cloud, because of how close he and Cloud have gotten, and he didn't want to harm your friendship so he thought it would be better if he just left. He told me the last part, and I convinced him to at least talk to you first but then you brushed him off and I guess he decided to just go."

After taking a moment to process all of this, Leon brought one hand up to his own face while Cloud shook his head and sighed. "We're idiots," Leon said as he and the blonde man glanced at one another.

"We need to bring him back," stated the blonde.

Leon nodded and returned his attention to Sora, "Do you have any idea where he's going?"

The younger brunette thought for a moment, "Try the ruins of Nibelheim."

Cloud's head shot up instantly, "Why would he go there?"

Sora shrugged, "He wanted to see them and he wouldn't expect you guys to look for him there."

Cloud glanced at Leon, "I'll get Fenrir; see if you can borrow a bike from-"

"Wait," Sora interrupted, "Why don't you guys just take a Gummi ship? How far is Nibelheim?"

"It's far, but not _that _far," said Cloud.

"Besides, Riku couldn't have made it all the way there already," stated Leon. "We wouldn't be able to see him and we'd pass him."

"I doubt he walked the whole way," commented Sora, "Just trust me, he's probably there already."

The two men exchanged glances again. Finally, Leon nodded, "You coming?"

The boy looked torn for a few seconds before he shook his head resolutely. "I'll wait here. Just make sure you bring Riku back…I don't want to lose my best friend _now_, after everything's over."

Leon nodded again, "You won't. We'll bring Riku back."

Leon and Cloud stepped out of a small Gummi ship in Nibelheim nearly an hour later.

"You think he's here already?" Cloud asked as he looked at the surrounding ruins.

"If Sora says he could have gotten here, then he probably could have," answered Leon.

The blonde nodded, "How do we go about finding him?"

"We don't," replied the scarred man. "No one can hide like Riku can. But if he's knows we're here for him, he'll find us."

"I didn't think you were paying attention to me that closely," stated Riku's voice quietly from somewhere behind them.

Leon turned with the smallest trace of a smile on his lips. Riku was standing a few yards away, with his back turned to them. His face was downcast and his silver hair danced in the breeze.

Cloud smirked and then nodded to Leon, "I'll wait here."

Leon nodded and then approached the teal-eyed boy.

"Did Sora send you?" Riku asked before the scarred man could say anything.

"No," Leon answered, "But he did tell me where to look…and a few other things."

The silver-haired boy sighed and shook his head slowly, "Secrecy has never been one of his strong points."

"I think you make up for it," stated Leon. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Why would I?" countered the adolescent smoothly.

Leon sighed. He realised he was going to have to take the initiative. "I never meant to be cruel to you, and I didn't want to avoid you, but there was misunderstanding with Cloud. We've worked it out, so I'm out of excuses…"

"Excuses…?" Riku turned his head and raised his eyes to glance at the Gunblade wielder through his bangs. His incredibly expressive eyes showed a deep pain and sadness, but also longing, devotion, and hope through his uncertainty.

"For not admitting how I feel," The sable-haired man elaborated. "I've always been bad at that."

The boy watched him for a moment longer before dropping his eyes again. "I'm so tired of this…enigmas and elusiveness… Can't anyone just be up front? Maybe that's why we all like Sora so much…"

Leon snorted lightly, "You might be onto something there." His expression sobered instantly, "I want to be up front with you from now on."

Leon moved closer to the boy and gently traced his jaw with a single finger before tilting his face up to look at him. "I'm sorry that I hurt you before…and that I didn't tell you sooner…I love you, Riku."

Leon punctuated the statement with a soft kiss.

He pulled his head away slowly, but remained close to the boy, and kept his hands on the teenager's slender back.

Riku searched the scarred man's eyes for a moment and then smiled slightly, his own eyes already stating what he was feeling; "I love you too."

"I know," Leon smiled at the boy. "Like you said, secrecy isn't one of Sora's strong points." Both chuckled, more out of relief than humour. "I'm glad you finally told me though." The scarred man continued to smile at the boy.

Riku smiled and wrapped his arms around the steel-eyed man's waist as Leon held him a little longer. "Come on," the Gunblade wielder said after a moment, "Let's go home."

Cloud smiled at his two friends as they walked to the Gummi ship. One of Leon's arms was still around Riku's shoulders.

"You two alright?" asked the former SOLDIER. After he received dual nods, he turned to board the small vessel before them. "Good, then let's get out of here. Why did you come to this place anyway?"

Leon glanced down at the teen, "That is a good question."

"That's a long story," answered the teen. "I'll tell you after you explain why you had to talk to Cloud before you could tell me that you love me."

Ahead of them, they heard the blonde snort, "This is going to be an interesting trip home…"


End file.
